A Tango Of Hearts
by Jen-07
Summary: Hoshi and Trip both realize something after they share a passionate dance together.


She could hear the voices in the mess hall from three corridors away. 'This must be one hell of a party,' Hoshi thought to herself as she carefully turned a corner, taking care not to trip over her sandals and fall flat on her face. She knew how much this gathering had meant to Liz, so she promised she'd make an appearance. 

Truth be told, she was looking forward to it almost as much as her friend was. _'Nothing like a good old fashioned fiesta,' _she recalled her conversation with Crewman Cutler. Both of them felt they should do something to mark the one year anniversary of Enterprise leaving space dock, although Hoshi was decidedly happy to let Liz make all of the arrangements. The only thing she had to do was find the perfect dress. 

After what seemed like hours of rummaging through the back of her tiny closet, she finally stumbled upon the item she'd been searching for; a sheer, lacy red dress with subtle black flowers and spaghetti straps, that cut off just above her knees. She strategically placed her long raven hair in a large pile on top of her head, letting down a few stray curls for effect. 

It was times like these that made her glad she'd brought most of her closet from home along with her to Enterprise. She smiled as she slipped into the very expensive sandals she'd so shamelessly splurged on while she was teaching in Brazil. They were thin black heels with straps that wove themselves up around the lower part of her calves. If she was there to have a good time, then she intended to look her best.

~

Trip hated these on board parties. Why in the world would he want to be in the mess hall when he could be in engineering running diagnostics or fixing broken relays? On the other hand, he did have to hand it to Crewman Cutler. Her festive decorating and Latin music almost made him glad the Captain ordered him to go. _Almost._

He sighed warily as he rested his back against the open bar. He glanced over at Malcolm on the other side of the room, who was attempting to flirt with a very uninterested looking young ensign. Taking a sip of his drink, he scanned the area for any sign of Jon. Nothing. He was probably still on the bridge, killing time before making his last minute entrance. 

That's when he saw her... an angel. A dream. Time slowed to a halt as he watched her smile at people she passed. That smile... why hadn't he ever noticed it before? It was so beautiful! Blurry images of people dancing and having a good time rushed past him, but he maintained his focus. He wasn't about to let his sudden epiphany just slip away like it was nothing.

"You know, some women have no appreciation for a true gentleman," he heard a voice state beside him.

"Mmmmm," he mumbled, still staring at his sudden object of desire. The way her dress swayed from side to side when she laughed was amazing. It was almost... hypnotizing. 

Malcolm's eyes narrowed as he tried to determine if the Commander was even listening to him. "What are you gawking at?"

"It's Hoshi," he breathed," Look at her."

"Wow. She looks great. Who knew she could get so dolled up? Maybe I should ask her to dance?! What do you think?"

Trip finally tore his eyes away from the dazzling communications officer long enough to reply to Malcolm. "I don't think that would be such a great idea."

"Oh," he raised an eyebrow," And why not?"

"Well, yah know, this doesn't really seem like your kinda party Malcolm. It's a fiesta! I just don't want you makin' a fool of yourself out there on the dance floor."

"Me?! Make a fool of myself? Never! I _am_ going to ask Hoshi to dance, you'll see. I bet she'll practically _jump_ into my arms."

Before another word could be uttered, Trip found himself watching his sudden opportunity of a lifetime fly right out the launch bay. He watched as Hoshi placed her hand in Malcolm's, gladly accepting his invitation to dance. Sighing, he turned around and focused his thoughts on the stars outside.

~

Surprised. That's what she was. Who knew the uptight armoury officer had it in him to ask her for a dance? Although his reputation with the ladies was well known (and well discussed) by the women on the ship, Hoshi had never gotten the impression that he thought of her that way.

"Do you know how to tango?" she asked him.

"Tango? Umm- err, of course I do. As a matter of fact I took tango lessons back on Earth. I was top of my class," he smiled confidently.

"Really?" she smirked," How appropriate. Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Like to tango? I could ask Liz to change the song."

"Oh... Well, I'm not really in the mood right now."

"I see. All right then. Maybe later?"

"Definitely. I'd like that."

Taking some initiative, Malcolm began to lead Hoshi around the room, step by painfully boring step. 'Does he think this is Ballroom Dancing 101 or something?' she questioned thoughtfully. Although she knew his intentions were nothing but honourable, she wished he would wise up and take a look around at where he was, not where he wanted to be. Song after song ended, and each time she'd tried to make an excuse to leave he'd just pull her back in for more. 

"Scuze' me," a charming southern accent filled Hoshi's ears as she looked up to see Trip tap Malcolm on the shoulder," May I cut in?"

"I suppose," he huffed, letting the handsome engineer take his place. Hoshi smiled sweetly as Trip led her into the middle of the room.

"Did I hear you askin' for a tango partner?"

"That depends. Can you do it?"

"You'd better believe it darlin," he winked," It's one of my many hidden talents. Think you're up to the challenge?"

"I'm _always_ up for a challenge," she replied. Raising her chin in the air, the young ensign slowly extended her hand out for him to accept. She fixated her gaze on the deep blue pools that rested so peacefully in his eyes.

Trip smirked. He greedily took possession of her hand, placing his free one on her waist. The seriousness was evident in her expression as they began to glide across the floor. As the music played on, their movements got more and more intense. A spin here, a twirl there. There seemed to be no end to the passionate dance they were both so intent on taking part in.

Hoshi flashed a devilish grin as she twirled in rhythmic motions around Trip's muscled body. After making her way in front of him, he managed to grab her tightly and lift her swiftly off the ground. Their faces were only inches apart, and Hoshi could feel his hot breath land softly on her face. The once peaceful blue pools that rested so nicely in his eyes were now set on fire with his passion for the dance. She could see the heat and intensity continue to build up behind them as they pushed on.

As the music ended, Trip dipped Hoshi back so far, onlookers probably thought they were going to fall. The top of her head was rested so far back on her shoulders, it almost felt like she was hanging upside down. With her arm extended outward as well, she closed her eyes and focused on the movement of Trip's hand, which began slowly caressing the skin up to her elbow. She once again felt his hot breath present on her skin. It was apparent that his lips were mere millimetres from her neck, and she fought hard to suppress the urge to pull him in for a never ending kiss.

There was a small pause of silence before people began to clap, snapping Hoshi and Trip back to reality. They stoop upright, taking care to notice that they were the only people still remaining on the dance floor. Hoshi felt her cheeks heat up as Liz ran over to tell her how spectacular she looked. She snuck a peek at Trip, and was surprised to find him staring at her. 

"That was wonderful!" squealed her friend," Now I realize why you like Fiesta's so much Hoshi! You two completely stole the show! Come on, I know a few people who would _love_ for you to tell them where you learned to move like that."

~

A few hours passed before the party finally ended. Hoshi had lost Trip in the sea of continuous people who were just arriving, so she'd never gotten the chance to properly thank him for the dance, not to mention saving her from Malcolm. As the rest of the night went on, she found her thoughts being drawn back to Trip and the wonderful dance they'd shared together. The memory of his eyes becoming set ablaze with passion gave her goose bumps. She'd never noticed how handsome he was before tonight. It's not like she thought he was ugly or anything, she'd just never taken the time to really look at him. 

'You're such a moron Hoshi. Why did you leave without finding him first? You should have at least thanked him,' she thought guiltily,' You should really go find him. Just make a quick stop at his cabin and see if he's there. There's no harm in that is there? No. What could possibly happen?'

~

Hoshi made her way out of the lift, dangling her sandals loosely in her hand beside her. Her feet were beginning to get sore from all that dancing. 'One dance in particular anyway,' she mentally laughed. After a minute or so of walking, she finally spotted Trip's cabin in the distance. 

'Just thank him! It's not that hard Hoshi. You're just here to say thanks. Nothing more...'

A shaky finger somehow managed to ring the buzzer located next to the entrance keypad. After a moments of waiting, she rang it again to no avail. She was about to leave when she decided to try her luck one last time. She knocked. 

"Trip? Are you in there?" she asked," It's Hoshi. Ummm, I just wanted to thank you for the dance." Silence. She sighed as she hung her head and walked back onto the lift. He was probably too tired to talk to her, she figured. 

She silently travelled through the maze of corridors that led to what she now considered home. Passing familiar bulkheads and familiar rooms, she made the final turn to her destination; to her bed, to her pillow... and to Trip, the man who sat waiting against her door for her to return.

"Hoshi," he stood up," Hey. Listen, I just wanted to say thanks for the dance. I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

"Neither have I," she replied, still in shock from her ironic surprise.

"Well... I guess I'd better go. I have a duty shift first thing in the morning. Don't want the Cap'n gettin' mad at me for being late now do I?"

"No, I guess not..."

"Okay. So, I'll see ya round' I guess."

Hoshi quickly turned around as Trip walked past her.

"Wait!" she yelled, causing him to stop at the end of the corridor, staring back at her," When did you leave the party?"

"What?"

"Just tell me. When did you leave the party?"

"Few minutes after our dance. Malcolm pulled me aside to tell me he wished he could dance like that to impress women, and I said _Thanks, it took a long time to learn, but I can teach you if you really wa-"_

"Shut up."

"Scuze' me?"

"You're telling me that you left right after our dance? That you sat outside my cabin for hours waiting for me to come back?"

"Well yeah, I spose' so."

Hoshi paused, dropping her sandals on the floor. She walked over to where Trip was standing and stopped, gazing up into his eyes. Those eyes...

"Hoshi, what're you-"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" she asked as she pulled him in for a kiss. 

Charles 'Trip' Tucker III suddenly found himself in a situation he thought he'd never be in. He was in love. Head over heels, in love.

"What was that for?"

"It was a thank you… for the dance."

He smiled, pulling her in for yet another kiss, much like the one they'd just shared.

"And what was that for?" she giggled.

"It was a thank you... for the kiss."

Hoshi laughed, grabbing Trip's hand and leading him back to the spot where he'd waited so intently for her to return. She bent down to pick up her sandals and pushed the entrance code that granted her access to her quarters.

"I was thinking... how about you show me some more of those moves?" she asked, slowly backing inside.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of, how about me and you have dinner a few times, and then see what happens?"

Smiling, Hoshi forced herself back to the door where Trip was leaning against the frame. "I think that's a great idea."

"Well, I guess I'd better get going... Duty shift-"

"Tomorrow, yeah I know," she sighed.

"Don't act so sad Hoshi... It's not like you're never going to see me again."

"I know that... I'm just trying to make this day last as long as possible."

"Well, I can't blame you there," he laughed. There was a slight pause. "So... I guess this is good night."

"I guess so."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest," he said before bending down to place a tiny peck on her forehead. Hoshi closed her eyes and took in the moment. This could be the start of something great...

"Bye," she whispered before watching him turn to leave. She closed the door behind her and fell effortlessly onto her bed.

It was times like this that made her glad she'd brought most of her closet from home along with her to Enterprise. If she was going to have the time of her life, then she might as well look her best.


End file.
